Returning Bell piles on more misery for Coventry

This was Bell’s second return visit to his former club in Wardens’ colours, both of which have delivered three-figure scores. He followed last year’s superb unbeaten 127 with an equally brilliant 107, made from 156 balls with seven boundaries and a six.

The opener added 120 for the third wicket with Scott Stenning (68) to put the visitors firmly on the road to recovery after a precarious start had seen them slip to 19 for two.

Tony Wilkinson’s breezy 29 then provided useful late-innings impetus to ensure Wardens claimed maximum batting points at 240 for seven.

Coventry skipper Rico Du Plessis (49) and Aaron Lewis (30) added 80 for the hosts’ first wicket before Dan Vernon dismissed both, plus the dangerous Matt Pickering.

Bowling in tandem with Sitanshu Kotak, the slow left-armer’s consistent spell gave Wardens a scent of victory as the hosts slipped to 181 for seven.

However, a solid unbroken 40-run eighth-wicket stand between Adam Simpson and Sam Smart defied their best efforts.

Veteran seamer Nick Whiting and teenage leg-spinner Tom Ballinger combined to good effect to steer Wardens 2nds to a comfortable six-wicket win over Coventry.

Whiting, who is in his 33rd season with the Glasshouse Park club, bowled with his usual economy to claim three for 43 from 15 tidy overs, while Ballinger relished a rare chance to use the new ball to grab three for 34.

As a result, the visitors slumped to 79 for seven and, despite an 54-run eighth wicket alliance between Ricky Martyn (48no) and Vihayakan Manimaran (22), their eventual total of 164 never looked enough on a good Glasshouse Park surface.

Martyn gave Coventry some early hope with four early scalps before an impressive unbeaten 120-run fifth wicket partnership between Robin de Regt (69no) and Dan Phillips (39no) ensured James Madley’s team coasted home in the 41st over.

Despite a fine bowling display from skipper Simon Gough and an entertaining half-century from Rhys Doherty, Wardens 3rds lost a pulsating Cotswold Hills Division Three match at Woodbourne by one wicket.

The home side’s hero was all-rounder Matt Murray, whose leg-spin ran through the Wardens’ lower order to return six for 34 after which he contributed a hard-hitting 42 to salvage an unlikely last-over win for the hosts.

On a damp, seaming pitch, Doherty’s 63 was the day’s only fluent innings.

The Wardens’ opener added 62 for the second wicket with Scott Jones (42) as the visitors progressed to 150 for three, only to crash to 168 all out in the face of Murray’s devastating spell.

Gough, who claimed four for 15, found good movement with the new ball to reduce the hosts’ response to 50 for four. However, opener Matt Coombes survived three lives to grind out a crucial 52 and add a crucial 44 for the sixth wicket with Murray.

Wardens’ lack of bowling depth was exposed in the game’s latter stages as the Woodbourne tail slogged and scrambled its way to a thrilling final-over victory with the last pair at the crease.